The Argentine government renounces the inclusion of the South American country in the BRICS group of emerging economies as of January. Ultraliberal President Javier Milei formally declared his rejection in a letter to member states Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino confirmed yesterday in an interview with the newspaper “La Nacion”.
Milei was sworn in as the new president in early December. He won the elections with radical demands for an economic and political turnaround.
At a BRICS summit in August in the South African city of Johannesburg, the group's expansion to include six new members was surprisingly announced. In addition to Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Ethiopia are also expected to join the alliance of important emerging countries in 2024. The then president of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, welcomed the inclusion, given his country's geopolitical and economic challenges. .
It was an ideological and practical decision, said Mondino. “The objective of BRICS is to negotiate with countries with which we already have agreements,” he added. Milei's government would therefore work to “intensify bilateral relations” with the five BRICS members, the letter said.